Summer Breeze
by ToS Lover
Summary: When Warren and Layla are the only two left in town for the summer, will love bloom? Or will hearts be burnt to a crisp?
1. Heat Wave

**Disclamer: I don't own Sky High.**

* * *

Ch. 1: Heat Wave

The first thing Warren Peace noticed when he arrived at work were the wilted plants. He sighed. That meant one of two things. Mrs. Chang's flowers weren't holding up in this drought as well as he thought, or there was a sad Layla Willams nearby. And lo and behold, there she was, looking overly depressed and taking all of Mrs. Chang's flowers with her.

"Hey, Hippie, could you kill the long face? I don't want to have to replant all the flowers you're about to kill."

Laya looked up. "Oh! Sorry!" She forced a smile and the flowers returned to their normal state.

"What's up? You look down." He asked.

Layla shook her head. "It's nothing—I should go…" Warren opened the door to the Paper Lantern before she could finish.

"You almost killing all of Mrs. Chang's plants isn't _nothing_. It's cooler inside, we can talk in there."

"Okay." Layla agreed, following him inside.

* * *

Swinging himself into an empty booth, Warren put on his best psychiatrist face and prepared himself for the onslaught of girlish angst that was about to come.

"What are you making that face for?" Layla asked.

Warren dropped it and snorted. "I was just channeling my inner psychiatrist, that's all. So what's the problem?"

Layla took a deep breath. "You're gonna think this is stupid but, I've been feeling really lonely lately, and summer's just begun…"

Warren stopped her. "Wait, where's everybody else?"

"Will's training with his parents in Nevada or Australia or somewhere, Ethan's at an MIT summer camp, Zach's on vacation with his family in the Bahamas, and Magenta's stowed away in order to escape her family reunion."

"Magenta stowed away on Zach's vacation?"

"Yep. He's gonna be pretty surprised when he finds her in his luggage. So anyway, I decided to come here since you were the only person I knew that was still in town, and you've been working so much I knew I'd find you here…."

That stung. How stupid was he, not even knowing that everyone else had left? Sure he tended to work a lot more during the summer, but had he really been that unreachable? He rolled his eyes. He was definitely going soft.

"….and I thought we could, you know, hang out if you weren't busy?" Layla finished.

"What? Oh, sure. Tomorrow though, I gotta get started on setting this place up now. That cool?"

Layla perked up, and Warren was sure he saw every plant in the restaurant bloom. Thank goodness for the power of multitasking, or else he would have been in huge trouble.

"Do you wanna stay for lunch?" he asked.

"Lunch?" Layla repeated. "Uh, no. I gotta get home, but I'll see you tomorrow. Thanks anyway, Warren." And with that the hippie skipped out the door.

Warren shook his head and started towards the kitchen. He was never going to understand women.


	2. Home

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

Ch. 2: Home

Layla walked through her front door, basking in the coolness of the air conditioner. At the same time, her stomach gave a loud growl. "Oops. Guess I should have stayed for lunch…" She wandered towards the fridge and pulled it open. Nothing. Nothing really fit for a vegetarian anyway. Milk, some soda, her father's chicken defrosting in a plastic bag (as he was the only one in the house who ate meat, despite her mother's protests) and various condiments and suspicious looking leftovers. She grabbed a can of soda and went for the cabinets. "Yes!" Layla grabbed a bag of lousily hidden potato chips from the back (another of her father's treats) and headed up the stairs to her room.

Stopping to put the potato chips and soda down, she logged into her email, to find a message from Magenta:

_purplepunkpig: MISSON SUCCESS!! :)_

_Hey girl! It worked, and I am now in the beautiful Bahamas! Zach was surprised and his parents are actually letting me stay! Something about not having the fare to send me back right now. I may be grounded for an eternity, but it's soooo worth it! I'll send you pictures ASAP. How's your summer going? Any progress with Mr. Tall, Dark, and Flammable? ;) Just remember what I told you: breathe, be yourself, and don't chicken out!_

_P.S: Zach says hi._

_Much love,_

_Mage_

Layla sighed and put her head on her desk, silently reading the email over again. She was glad Magenta was having such a good time in the Bahamas, but did she have to rub in the Warren thing? I mean, she hadn't even broken it off with Will yet! But that didn't mean it wasn't already on its way out…Layla sighed again and stuffed a few potato chips in her mouth. Nothing like the three major food groups of salty, sweet, and fatty to help you through a little heartbreak. No vegetarian snacks this time, no siree. She drank down her soda and leaned back in her chair. "Note to Self: Never tell Magenta anything again, ever."

* * *

Warren opened his front door quietly, hoping to sneak past the living room as quietly as one could in boots. He got as far as the bottom of the stairs before she called his name.

"Warren, ven aqui!"

Warren flinched. This couldn't be good. All he wanted to do was take a cold shower, change, and finish Pride and Prejudice with Zombies. But instead….

"Coming, Mami!"

He walked into the living room as coolly as possible, hoping to disguise the fact he had been trying to get away. He stared at the TV, his worst fears coming to light. His mother was watching her novellas.

"There you are, mi bomberito!" His mother smiled and patted the seat next to her on the couch. "Come, sit. How was work?"

Warren cringed. She knew he hated talking about work as much as he hated her novellas. She had told him once, right after his father had gone to prison, that they would often stay up late and watch them together. He doubted watching novellas was something his father actually did, psychopath or no psychopath. He sat down anyway.

"Work was okay. How was your day?"

"It was fine. Bank robbery here, grocery shopping there, giant robot almost crushed my therapist's office….damn that traffic…." His mother trailed off, sipping her iced tea with a wry grin. He had to smile now. She hated her therapy sessions with a passion. "And how are your little friends, hm? You know, the patriot, the girl that turns into a cuy, her flashlight, Ethan, la muneca…" He held back his laughter. His mother had just referred to Magenta as food! He had always found it odd she didn't have a nickname for Ethan; probably the fact that he had picked up enough Spanish to impress her. But…la muneca, who was that?

"Uh, mom, who's la muneca?"

"Layla…of course." His mother gave her iced tea a swirl and set it on the table.

"Layla? When'd she get a nickname?"

"Oh, just now. I couldn't keep calling her a hippie, now could I? That's rude."

"Oh. Everyone's fine. They're all away for the summer. Except for Layla. She showed up at the Paper Lantern today." He frowned a little.

"Uh, oh. I know that face. Something's wrong isn't it? Come, tell Mami all about it." His mother opened her arms in welcome. He sighed, and opened his mouth to speak, only to let out a squeak as she put his head in her lap. He began to protest that he wasn't a little kid anymore, but her cool hands threading through his hair made everything lapse into a comfortable silence.

"She showed up at the Lantern like I said. She was upset, making all the flowers wilt. Said she had been lonely since everyone else was gone, and I was working so much. She showed up to ask if we could hang out."

His mother tilted her head. "And what's wrong with that?"

"Nothing! She just made it sound like I was such a workaholic that I was neglecting my friends. Am I?"

"Well I always tell you that you don't have to work as hard as you do. And maybe she really is lonely without her friends and her novio around so…."

"Barely. He hasn't been around all summer. Always training or something. They haven't been on a date in forever, and….what?" His mother cocked an eyebrow.

"Uh, I really need to stop talking to Zach...."

"There's nothing wrong with spending time with your friends and you could use a few days off…so I say have fun tomorrow, okay?"

"Right. Thanks, Mami!" He got up and ran for the stairs.

"You're welcome. Do you want to...?" A door upstairs slammed shut. She rolled her eyes. "Why do I even try with that boy?"

* * *

**Okay, here's a quick translation for anyone who needs it:**

ven aqui=come here

bomberito= bombero is the word for fireman, and the suffix -ito is a way of making something smaller. So Warren's mom is calling him her "little fireman".

cuy=peruvian word for guinea pig, where they are also food.

muneca=doll


	3. Cloud Watchers

**Disclaimer: Don't own Sky High. **

Ch 3: Cloud Watchers

The next morning had found Warren awake at an ungodly hour. Racing thoughts and a bad case of insomnia had kept him from drifting off, as well as the surprising blare of his alarm clock, which after so many early shifts at the Paper Lantern, spurred him into action. After a flurry of activity, and stopping by a mirror twice, he sprinted all the way to Layla's house. He started for the door, and then stopped. _'What if she wasn't home?'_ he thought. _'What if she found something else to do or someone came back unexpectedly, what if…"_ In the middle of his thoughts, the door suddenly opened, bringing him face to face with Layla's mother.

"Oh, it's just you Warren." Layla's mother Helen squinted against the rising sun to stare at him. "Brutus told me someone was pacing in front of our house." She motioned to the tabby cat that was winding itself against her pajama-clad ankles.

"Um, sorry about that Mrs. Williams, I'm just here to get Layla. Since, you know…we're hanging out today…and stuff…she did tell you, right?" Warren quietly shifted from foot to foot. This was awkward.

"She mentioned something along those lines, I think." Helen paused to give him a small smile and take a sip of her coffee. "Warren, you _do _know it's only 7 am, right?"

"_Oh."_ This was really awkward. "Okay… I'm going to go now…I'll see you later Mrs. Williams…I think..."

"Will do Warren…I'll tell Layla you stopped by." Helen paused to watch the obviously confused boy wander back down the street. She shut her front door with a smile. "You know Brutus, I really do like that boy…"

* * *

Warren trudged into his house to find his own mother looking at him curiously, cup of coffee in hand. _'What exactly was it with mothers and coffee and waking up early?' _he thought blearily. He slunk towards the living room, throwing himself face down on the couch.

"Someone was anxious, wasn't he?" Warren could hear the laughter in his mother's voice.

He groaned. "I really don't want to talk about it. Now if you excuse me, I'm going to take a very long nap."

* * *

One refreshing nap later, Warren Peace found himself once again at Layla's house; albeit at a more appropriate time. This time, he only had to wait a few seconds as the door opened, and Layla stepped out.

"So," He asked. "Where'd you want to go?" Layla paused for a second, biting her lip. "I was thinking we could go to the park."

Warren shrugged. "Park's cool with me."

The walk to the park was uneventful, silence reigning between the two teens. Warren hoped Layla's mother hadn't told her anything about earlier. How was he going to live _that_ down?! Showing up five hours early, like some sort of overeager puppy…like Stronghold, even! Warren could have puked. Layla suddenly bounded by him, which meant they were at the park. She flopped down on the grass underneath the shade of a tree. He sat down beside her.

"What're you looking at?"

"I'm cloud watching, silly." She tugged on his arm. "Come on, you can't see them from there." He lay down with some reluctance. She pointed at the sky. "See, that one looks like an ice cream cone."

"No way. Looks more like Medulla's head than an ice cream cone." She laughed so hard she cried.

They continued on for a while, pointing out clouds that looked like stars, UFO's, dragons, and Magenta (as a guinea pig of course.) Warren's stomach gave a low grumble after a while.

"You hungry too?" Layla asked. "There's this new restaurant across from the arcade, we should head there." Warren agreed and they left the park. The restaurant was fairly simple, booths inside full of people wanting to get out of the heat, and a few tables outdoors for those who felt like taking the heat. They took a table outside, getting water, a hamburger for Warren, and cheese fries for Layla. Warren cocked an eyebrow.

"Cheese fries, hippie? You should be careful, you might get fat."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "There is absolutely nothing wrong with ordering cheese fries. They are totally vegetarian friendly."

"Suuure." He rolled his eyes, spacing out slightly until the food showed up. "Yum. Cooked cow. My favorite." He made a big show of preparing to take a bite, until he noticed the look on her face. "What?"

Layla snapped out of her daze. "Uh, what?"

"You okay hippie? You were looking at me funny. Is it because I made the "cooked cow" joke?"

"No, no." She looked down. "I was just thinking about how my dad made the best hamburgers when I was a kid."

"You used to eat meat?" Warren asked.

"Yeah, when I was little. My dad's the only one who eats meat now. He argued that it would be bad for my growth if I didn't at least get some complex proteins in early. When I was old enough, I switched to being a vegetarian."

"Oh, cool. Can I take a bite now?"

"Sure. Go right ahead." Layla nibbled on a cheese fry quietly. She had only told Warren part of the truth. Somehow she didn't think "I spaced out because I was too busy staring at your face," would go over very well. She finished the rest of cheese fries in silence, and cast a glance over at the arcade. "Hey, Warren? Could we go to the arcade after this?"

"Sure. Hey, here comes the bill now." Warren paid the bill despite her protests of splitting it and of the gesture being anti-feminist.

"Don't sweat it, hippie. It's arcade time." They both slipped into the cool darkness of the arcade. Layla spied a DDR machine in the corner and squeaked in joy. "Hey Warren, let's go try the DDR machine!" She dragged him towards it with immense strength.

"Okay," he said. "But you're going first." She hopped onto the machine and put in a few quarters. It started up, and when she was finished, a D mark flashed on the screen.

"Oh, that sucks. Your turn, Warren."

"Alright, hippie. Just watch the master at work." He put his own change and let the machine start up. Within a few minutes, a crowd had formed, cheering him on. Layla was amazed. He had never danced like that before! When all was said and done, an A flashed on the screen, and Warren bowed to the cheering crowd. They left the arcade soon after.

Layla practically bounced down the street in happiness. "Warren! I didn't know you could do that! I mean, you danced at Homecoming, but not like that! That was awesome!"

"Well thank you. It's good to know my DDR skills have a use outside of the game."

They arrived at Layla's house far too soon, in Warren's opinion. She turned to face him and smiled. "Thank you for hanging out with me, Warren. You're a great friend."

"You're welcome, hi—Layla. See you later, okay?" He turned to leave, but not before Layla leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. He stood there stunned, as she waved goodbye and slipped inside her house.

He practically floated all the way home. As he reached his own front doorstep, he was puzzled to find someone sitting on his porch. Further inspection revealed it to be Layla. _'How did she get here so fast?' _he wondered. But there was no time to ask as she yanked him down to her level and kissed him hard. Once again stunned, he didn't notice she was already gone until she turned the corner. He stumbled towards the front door with only one thought on his mind. _'What the hell was that?'_


	4. Land Of Doubt

**Disclamer: You already know…**

* * *

Ch. 4: Land of Doubt

Warren slipped by his mother's sleeping form as she lay on the couch. He would have woken her and told her he was home, but he was still too much in a daze to care. He took the steps to his room two at a time, making sure to make as little noise as possible. Closing the door behind him, he flopped onto his bed with an uncharacteristically happy sigh. _'She kissed me. She actually kissed me. Me! Of all people!' _he thought. Warren let out a short laugh. He hadn't really thought she felt the same way he did, not with her almost obsessive puppy-love with Stronghold…oh shit. He sat upright and resisted the urge to bash his head into a wall. _'How did I forget about Stronghold?!' _his mind screamed. _'What the hell's going to happen when Stronghold comes back?!'_

'_You know what's going to happen,' _his mind whispered. _'She'll run right back to him and forget all about you. You were just a distraction. She doesn't really love you. She was just _lonely_.'_

"No." Warren whispered. "_No._ She does feel something for me. _She_ kissed _me._ Twice. Plus, her and Stronghold are definitely on the outs. She barely talks about him. They're drifting."

'_You've got a point there. But what if Stronghold finds out you're lusting for his girlfriend, hmm? Do we really want a replay of the lunchroom incident?'_

Warren scowled. "We'll just have to burn that bridge if it comes to that." And with that, Warren ended his mental dilemma and settled on a happier plan of action: finishing Pride and Prejudice with Zombies. Outside, the afternoon sky spoke of a definite storm on the way.

* * *

And not too far away were another set of waterworks. Layla lay in her backyard, staring up at the overcast sky in exhaustion. She had just run all the way from her house to Warren's and back, and she was terrified. She didn't know when she had found the shortcut between their places, she supposed it was just one of those subconscious things, and she swore she'd never really _need_ it….and at least that part was true. She didn't need the path. _She needed Warren. _Layla flinched at the approaching sound of thunder. It seemed to reprimand her. She glared at the sky.

"It wasn't like I forgot about Will, alright?" she told it, not bothering to keep her voice down. Her parents had left for the afternoon, and it wasn't like anyone could see her in the grass she had rapidly grown.

'_Well, that part's true.' _her mind whispered. _'But what about when he comes back? He won't be so happy to know his girlfriend was playing kissy face with Mr. Hothead, now will he?'_

"I know. But what do you want me to do? We're on our way out; I'm pretty sure the only person who hasn't got the memo is him. And that's because he's never here."

_'Ooooh. Is that anger and resentment I hear? What happened to the peace loving hippie act?'_

Layla rolled her eyes, a first even for her. "The peace and love is taking a break in favor of taking a stand for once."

_'Good for you, dear. But I reiterate, what's going to happen when Will gets back and finds out? Do we really want a repeat of the lunchroom incident? And does Warren even feel the same?'_

"I don't know. I don't want anyone to get hurt, but that doesn't mean it's not going to happen. And I'm pretty sure that if he didn't feel the same, I would know. But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

And with an air of finality, Layla picked herself up off the ground, lowered the grass, and walked inside as the first drops of rain began to fall.


	5. A Firm Grip, A Stronghold

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sky High.**

**Ch. 5: A Firm Grip, A Stronghold**

Layla brought her arms down slowly, watching the trees in her backyard shrink to a manageable height.

"There." she breathed out.

Warren mumbled behind the stack of streamers he was holding. "You do realize I could have just used a ladder, right?"

"True, but that was faster. Everyone's going to be here at five, and I still need to set up the tables, bring out the food, string the lights, set up the grill...."

"Will you calm down? It's only two, Hippie ,we've got this. Go cool off or something, I don't need you dying on me."

"Alright. Be back in a second." Layla slipped into the kitchen, once again grateful for the air conditioner. Grabbing a soda from the fridge, she stood against the island and fiddled with the tab. Everyone was finally coming home. She could see Warren from her spot against the island, casually lighting the grill with a flick of his fingers. She frowned. They hadn't talked at all about what had happened almost two weeks ago. Every time she thought they were getting somewhere, he changed the subject. The sound of her soda can opening brought her back from reality.

Warren was in the kitchen. And he was drinking her soda.

"Warren! Give me back my soda!"

"What soda? I don't see a soda anywhere....oh, you mean _this_ soda?" He waved the can at her.

"Yes. That soda. I was drinking that." Layla replied tersely.

"Hmmmm, it didn't look like you were drinking it. In fact, it looked like you were just staring at it." He took another sip. "But if you really want it back...you'll have to come and get it." And with that, he was out the door.

"Warren!" Layla raced outside after him. "Give me my soda!"

* * *

Zach and Magenta arrived first, Magenta bursting with stories, and Zach with a bad sunburn. Magenta applauded Layla's decorating skills and when out of earshot of the boys, promised to talk later. Ethan showed up next, almost melting in the heat. He promised to talk whenever he cooled off, and slunk off to find a patch of shade. The Strongholds showed up last, landing in Layla's backyard in such a way, that if you didn't know them, would be considered obnoxious. She didn't come to meet them right away, pretending to busy herself with making sure everyone else was okay. They snuck up behind her as she was asking Ethan if he wanted a glass of ice water. And before Josie could pull her into a hug, or Steve could clap a hand onto her shoulder, Will dipped her into a kiss that had everyone catcalling. She tried not to cringe.

No one saw Warren "accidentally" burn the hot dogs.

* * *

Warren sulked behind his soda. Damn Stronghold. Ever since he got here, he'd been leading Layla around like some animal on a leash. It had gotten to the point where she hadn't talked to her parents at all for the last few hours. Thank God he'd been taken off of grill duty. Who knows how much food he would have burnt watching Stronghold's display of egotistical manliness? His brooding was interrupted by someone tapping him on the shoulder.

It was Stronghold.

"Hey, Warren, can we talk?"

* * *

**AN: **_**He knows, He knows!!!! **_**Hahahaha, I'm just kidding! You'll have to find out next chapter!**


	6. Tell Me No Secrets

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sky High.**

* * *

**Ch. 6: Tell Me No Secrets, And I Won't Tell Your Girlfriend**

Warren had followed Stronghold upstairs after he had asked to talk. Now he stood in Layla's hallway, wondering just what he had to say.

_He can't know about me and Layla, right? _Warren thought. The bathroom door opened, and out walked Stronghold.

"Jeez, took you long enough. I thought you died in there."

"Nah, I'm cool." Will scratched the back of his head and smiled. "So, I heard about you and Layla."

_Oh, fuck! _Warren did his best not to look nervous, as he said: "What exactly did you hear?"

"She was just telling me how you two were hanging out, you know, keeping her company and all that." Will clamped a hand on Warren's shoulder. "You're a good friend Warren, I appreciate that."

Will moved back against the wall, rifling through his pockets for something. He pulled out two pictures. "And since you're such a good friend, I thought you might hold on to these for me."

Warren took a look at the pictures. One was of Stronghold and a girl, arms around each other, and smiling for the camera. The other was of the same girl, but now she posed in her underwear, like some cheap version of a Playboy model.

_But she wasn't Layla._

Will noticed Warren's eyes widen and mistook the gesture. "She's hot, right? I met her down in Alice Springs. She's a civilian, but the things she does with her mouth are...."

Warren blocked Stronghold out. It was taking all the willpower he had not to fry the little fucker. He tuned back in as Will was saying: "...I need you to keep those for me. If I leave them at my place, Layla's sure to find them." Will clapped his hand on Warren's shoulder again. "You're a good friend, Warren." And as Stronghold disappeared down the stairs, all Warren could think was:

_You dick._

* * *

**AN: Oh no he didn't!**


	7. The Next Best Thing Though

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

**Ch. 7: The Next Best Thing Though…**

Warren tried his best to keep a straight face as he re-entered the backyard. He could feel the flames under his skin already, desperate to climb out and melt Stronghold's face off. Or maybe he would set his entire body on fire. Or maybe just his dick. Yes, that definitely needed to go…his reverie was cut short as he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Warren! How are you?" The itch from the flames went out completely as he heard Mr. Stronghold's voice. Now his body felt like it was suspended in ice water, leaving him cold and sluggish.

"Just fine, Mr. Stronghold. How was Australia?" Warren turned to face Mr. Stronghold as the cold slowly faded away. The minute Mr. Stronghold started talking about the wonders of the superhero programs in Australia, Warren switched into autopilot, nodding in all the right places as the _Commander_ droned on. He had nothing against Mr. Stronghold, but he would never exactly trust him. And he knew he didn't trust him either. The man had a peculiar way of looking at him sometimes that at any given moment, made him feel like running far, _far_ away and finding a safe place to hide. But for now, there were other things to worry about.

"That's fascinating Mr. Stronghold, but could you excuse me? I really need to go talk to Magenta for a quick second. Bye!" He made a fast beeline to the purple-haired girl as Steve Stronghold was left mid-sentence.

* * *

He found Magenta entertaining herself by mercilessly poking her boyfriend's sunburn, which strangely enough didn't turn white as it was poked, but instead turned the neon yellow of his powers.

"Magenta, I need to talk to you for a second."

"Hmm? Hi, Warren." Magenta turned to face him, soda in hand. Zach sighed in relief as her other hand busied itself with the soda's straw. "Thanks, man."

Warren had to stop himself from grinning. "Nice sunburn, Zach. And yeah, we need to talk Magenta."

"Alright. See you in a second, Zach." She gave his sunburn an affectionate poke as she stood, both Magenta and Warren relishing in the "Ow!" coming from Zach as he rubbed his sorely abused cheek.

* * *

Warren stepped inside Layla's kitchen with Magenta close behind him. He allowed himself to enjoy the coolness of the room and gave himself a second to steady his nerves.

"Soooo…what's up?" Magenta asked.

Warren looked around; making sure no one was within earshot before he began.

"Stronghold's cheating on Layla."

Magenta's only response was to cock an eyebrow and hop onto the island's counter. "Well, subtle the boy is not."

"Wait, you knew?"

"No, not about this. But it's not like it's something he wouldn't do. In case, you haven't noticed, Will's transformed into an asshole. And I can't even say _kinda_ because this pretty much cinches it. So how'd you find out?"

"He asked me to hold on to some pictures he had from Australia."

Magenta held out her hand. "Let me see them." Warren gladly placed them into her open palm.

Magenta held the pictures between her finger and thumb, the way one would hold a dead mouse, or a piece of garbage. She gave them a once over and snorted. "Seriously, he has no taste whatsoever. Here, take 'em." She tossed them back at him.

"So…what do we do now?" Warren asked.

"_We_? What exactly do you want me to do?"

"I was hoping you would tell her."

Magenta hopped off the counter. "_Me tell her_? Nuh-uh. No. You know, you tell her. Maybe she'll listen to you and break up with him. I try, and all I get are excuses. Now do you have a problem I can actually solve, 'cause I have a stable, drama-free relationship to get back to, thank _you_ very much."

"Uh…I like Layla?"

"Now that's easy. She likes you too. Now go tell her so you can go spend time making angsty, plant-growing, punk babies together."

"_Magenta!_"

Magenta ran out the door, laughing. Warren chased after her, yelling. "Come back here, you overgrown rat! I'll let my mom eat you for this!"

Neither of them noticed the plant on the kitchen counter had suddenly wilted.


End file.
